Incredibles 2: No Capes; All Charm

With the continuing-to-grow deluge of superhero movies (Infinity War, Deadpool 2, Antman and Wasp), it is easy to suffer from the so-called “superhero fatigue” that has slowly begun to plague not only the DCEU of late (Justice League) or even the recently problematic Marvel (Black Panther). Sorry, fanboys, its just a fact: if you watch enough of them, they tend to run together and, regardless of your affinity for the genre, nothing, not even Marvel, can stay fresh forever. Consider Incredibles 2 to be a heartfelt, yet seemingly knowing, wink at this slowly downward-spiraling trend that tells it in a way that only Pixar can.

Okay, look, if you like Pixar movies and you like superhero movies, chances are you'll probably love The Incredibles 2. The characters are still charming, the jokes are still funny, Bob Odenkirk plays sleazy but still honorable in ways only he could have envisioned, the action is still fun and, if you loved Jack Jack the first time around, you'll likely find nothing wrong with him 14 years later in this iteration. Throw in yet another amazing villain (i.e. a villain who's ideology would make him a hero if it hadn't been twisted with murderous intent) and you even have a character depth that Marvel Studios still struggles and fails to pull off in their endless loop of bland heroes and their problems. See? The movie not only is a fun distraction with redeemable merits but it even mocks its big brother franchise mercilessly for its creative flaws. That's meta to the point of mean spirited!

Unfortunately, much like the superhero movies before it (at least the ones in the category of “Not Made By Pixar”), this is still a one team show and, as a result, no one outside of the original players from Incredibles 1 really make anything more than a passing impression. Sophia Bush is completely wasted as the nerve wracked superhero Voyd, up to 70% of the heroes without the last name of Parr (that's the super family) won't even have a line of dialog, no normal, human character outside of Odenkirk's Winston Deavor have anything interesting to say or do and, even though I mentioned that awesome villain previously, he also kind of feels like a slightly more vindictive version of Syndrome (Jason Lee) from the last movie. Its a movie that mocks the tropes of its genre before accidentally falling into them as well.

As for watching it, sure, go for it. Its still a Pixar movie at its very essense and, while it lacks anything resembling a quintessential “Pixar Moment” (i.e. trying hard not to ugly cry before bursting into uncontrollable laughter), its still a cute, if sometimes underwhelming, superhero/family movie with the proper respect paid to the family side of that equation. Do you avoid Pixar movies because you think they are just meant to keep small, screaming children quiet for a few hours? Good luck trying to defend your decision to watch anything else in theaters this weekend.

Brad Bird (Iron Giant) continues to prove that he can't make a bad animated, sci-fi movie with The Incredibles 2, a kid-friendly version of what the Fantastic Four would be if they had competent people working on that franchise. Picking up immediately following Part 1, Bob (Craig T. Nelson) and Helen (Holly Hunter) Parr are recruited by Walt Disneyesque media mogul Winston Deavor (Odenkirk) for the purpose of rectifying what he believes is the biggest wrong from the first movie: being a superhero is still illegal. To fix this problem, Helen will return to her persona as Elasti-Girl and, with the help of Deavor's media connections, try to reaffirm public trust in superheroes again and...are you still awake? That's too many words! How about this? Its got Jack Jack the infant in it. And he is AWESOME. Now, go watch the movie already!

My score: 8/10. Is it weird that, after this movie, I kind of miss Syndrome? Despite his kind of evil plan in the first movie, he was still just trying to sell everyone rocket boots and be a supervillain version of Ayn Rand (“When everyone is super, no one will be.”).

Ocean's 8: Same as 11, but Meaner

Ocean's Eleven was a movie that, despite massive pushback from Hollywood (because it was a remake of a Frank Sinatra movie) and being overwhelmingly top heavy (Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Matt Damon) managed to find success by using the rare filmmaking formula of being smart yet being fully aware of its own limitations. Regardless of how much you liked the titular thiefs, you were always aware that they were bad guys who were the heroes by the virtue of ripping off a much worse guy. Everything beyond that single plot point was just bonus footage. How do you expand on this winning (or 33% winning) formula? Switch the genders, limit the scope and let the actresses shine their own winning personalities for a change. Is it okay to say the movie works until it just doesn't?

Okay, look, Ocean's 8, if you're in the mood for a fun little heist movie with arguably some of the best female talent in Hollywood (Cate Blanchett, Sarah Paulson), some of better ticket drawing females in Hollywood (Sandra Bullock) or Rihanna, chances are this movie will provide the entertainment value you're looking for. The heist itself is fun to watch unfold, the characters are mostly charming and have enough on-screen charisma to keep you invested and, even if you're a cynic like me, you can still just mock Helena Bonham Carter's terrible Scottish accent if the movie starts to totally lose you in the third act. It was a 110 minute movie that, while it did occasionally lose me, it never really bored me.

Unfortunately, 8 ultimately fails where Eleven had its most expert touch: there's just no Tony Benedict (Andy Garcia) this time. The thing to remember about Eleven was that the gang was doing the heist to stick it sideways to an arrogant, yet intelligent, billionaire with the resources and dedication to be a compelling villain worth rooting against. The mark in 8 is merely some dude who made the mistake of burning Debbie Ocean (Bullock) years before and, as of the movie, had promptly forgotten about her. He didn't stand to lose millions in the heist or suffer any security embarrassment as a result. He was just some schmuck with no personal investment in the plot who was targeted for something he seemed to barely remember. This ultimately turns the crew this time around into the bad guys by the end when you realize they aren't avenging a past wrong so much as spiting the moron for the sake of closure. You had the money, ladies, you didn't have to kick the side character in the face on your way out the door.

As for watching it, go for it. Despite being a movie that, for all intents and purposes, doesn't really need to bear the Ocean's moniker (it would have been a fine heist movie even without the series connection), its still a fun time with some great comic timing and a reasonably paced use of your time for once. The jokes are funny without trying to bury themselves (Hi, Ghostbusters!), the characters are as fun as they are unpredictable and, despite seeming to be intent on one-upping the original, the plot never tries to overwhelm it audience. You kept it simple! Good job!

Gary Ross (Hunger Games) goes for methodical over emotional with Ocean's 8, a fun, sometimes overcomplicated, heist comedy about women scorned and the extents they'll go to burn the hapless target of their ire. Fresh out of prison and ready to steal again, Debbie Ocean (Bullock) sets her sights on a $150 million necklace at the Met Gala. With the help of some interesting and talent characters and Rihanna, the group will attempt to pull off a job in one of the the most heavily-policed museums in the world. Go have fun and then try to stay awake when the movie goes to long and drags James Corden into the movie in the third act. Maybe they thought the movie was getting too good...

My score 7/10. The movie was cheap and can easily make its money back with even a limited release schedule between summer tentpole movies. I smell a potential franchise (it reeks superheroes and space operas).